Synthetic resin mounting joint



March 25, 1958 J. s. MARTIN SYNTHETIC RESIN MOUNTING J'oINT Filed Sept. 10, 1954 INVENTOR. l dames 5. 2a/hb2 BY AT TORNE Y.

United States Patent() SYNTHETIC RESIN MOUNTING JOINT James S. Martin, Huntington, N. Y., assignor to Republic Aviation Corporation, Farmingdale, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application September 10, 1954, Serial No. 455,291

1 Claim. (Cl. 20-40) This invention relates to the mounting of units of synthetic resins such as sheets, panels and structural components, and proposes a reinforced mounting member secured to and projecting from the edge or margin of the unit in such a manner that for all practical purposes it becomes an integral part thereof.

Among its other objects the present invention contemplates a synthetic resin construction and mounting means that is relatively unaffected by exposure to temperature and Weather.

The character of the reinforced mounting member of the instant invention is such that, for all practical purposes, it becomes an integral and homogeneous part of the synthetic resin unit where it is joined thereto with the result that it not only reinforces the unit along the joint but, in addition thereto, the joint is relatively unaffected by temperature.

With the above and other objects in View as will be apparent, this invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts all as hereinafter more fully described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawing. The drawing is a sectional View through one edge of a panel or structural component of synthetic resin and its mounting member made in accordance with the teachings of the present invention and xedly secured to a portion of an aircraft structure.

Panels, sheets or structural components of synthetic resin have come into wide use in the manufacture of aircraft where they are used extensively for closures such as windshields, canopies, windows and panels or external, structural parts such as can be incorporated in the wings or fuselage of the aircraft. The mounting of such aircraft closures presents many problems in that they must be mounted in such a manner as to be able to withstand unbalanced forces developed by the pressurization of the aircraft and the vibration inherent in the operation thereof, as well as being subjected to wide variations in temperature, without fracturing, crazing or other damage.

To overcome the foregoing problems, it has been the practice, heretofore, to provide such closures with a reinforced mounting member that is joined to the edge of the closure and which projects, in part, outwardly therefrom to be engaged by suitable means for securing the closure to the aircraft. Thus, the reinforced mounting member receives and absorbs the concentrated and unbalanced forces developed by the mounting of the closure to the aircraft. ln the past, these reinforced mounting members have been made by laminating a woven fabric such as woven wire, fiberglass or muslin with the same synthetic resin as that from which the closure is made and uniting or joining the mounting member to the edge of the closure in such a manner that the joint therebetween becomes a homogeneous mass of the same synthetic resin reinforced by the woven wire, fiberglass or muslin.

It has been found, however, that reinforced mounting members heretofore devised are unsatisfactory. This is believed to be attributable to the fact that the reinforcing material i. e., Woven wire, fiberglass or muslin, is dissimilar or dierent from the material i. e., synthetic resin, that is used to laminate it in the fabrication of the mounting member. Thus, it would appear that since the synthetic resin used to laminate the reinforcing material of the mounting member has a different coefcient of expansion than that of the reinforcing material, when the joint is subjected to varying temperatures the difference in the expansions and contractions of the synthetic resin and that of the reinforcing material cause the bond therebetween to weaken or fail which, in turn, results in a weakening or failure of the joint.

The present invention proposes a reinforced mounting member integrally or homogeneously united with and projecting from the edge of a synthetic resin panel, sheet or structural component wherein the reinforcing material of the mounting member is made from primarily the same synthetic resin as that of the mounting member and the associated panel, sheet or structural component. Thus, by providing a construction wherein the panel, mounting member and the reinforcing material of the latter are primarily of the same synthetic resin, a substantially homogeneous joint is achieved that is relatively unaffected by exposure to variations in temperature. Moreover, the instant mounting member is so constructed and fabricated that it reinforces the adjoining edge portion of the panel, sheet or structural component and may be engaged by fastening means such as clamps, bolts and the like to mount the panel, sheet or structural component without adversely aecting either the mounting member or the associated panel, sheet or structural component.

Reference being had more particularly to the drawing 1) designates a panel or closure of synthetic resin.

A mounting member 11 is fabricated by superimposing one upon the other a series of layers of material or fabric 12 made by weaving or otherwise fabricating filaments, threads or strands of a synthetic resin primarily the same as that employed in panel 10 and laminating these layers of reinforcing fabric 12 with a synthetic resin that is the same as that used in panel 10. Thus, by v utilizing a reinforcing fabric 12 of primarily the same synthetic resin as that used in laminating it, the resulting mounting member 11 is a substantially homogeneous construction, although the reinforcing fabric 12 retains all of its reinforcing characteristics. Further, since the coefficients of expansion of the reinforcing fabric 12 and the mounting member 11, as well as that of the panel l?, are substantially equal, if not the same, there is little or no difference in their expansion or contraction when subjected to Varying temperatures.

A pocket or socket 13 is formed or produced in one edge of the mounting member 11 to receive the edge portion of the panel 16. The socket 13 may be formed in any suitable manner. For example, during the fabrication of the mounting member 11 the opposed sides thereof may be provided with extensions i4 to thereby form the socket 13 or, after the mounting member 11 has been cured or set, one of its edges may be suitably routed out to form the socket 13 and the extensions or side-walls 14. In either event, the extensions 14 are so spaced relative to each other as to define a socket 13 for the reception of the edge portion of the panel 1t) and to lie against the adjacent opposed sides of the edge portion of the panel 10 positioned therebetween.

Many techniques may be followed in securing the edge of the panel or closure 10 into the socket 13 so as to produce a homogeneous body of the same synthetic resin at the joint therebetween. For example, the lamination of the layers of reinforcing fabric 12 and their impregnation with the synthetic resin in solution, produces a unitary mounting member 11 which may be allowed to cure YorV set. Thereafter, theivvalls `the s0cket"13^and"tlie edge portion of "the panel "1Uth'at"is' to -be received'therein may be treated with a solvent to .softemthe syntheticfresin... The edge portioncf panel..r '3Icausing'thel.l

abutting surfaces loi 'the 1 panelllj' and. the. .wallslr of the..

the. mountinnmeimher. 1r became ahbnmgeneousbbdy ofsyntheticlresin: Alternately, the ,edg'e'f portionoflfthe thex mounting meinbenllf' has .compltcl9. set, Lor cured.l

The present invention can he Yapplied to any type of*` Y synthetic resin suit'ablef'r the purposes and construction of the closure, panel or structural component 10 the mounting member 11 and its reinforcing material Vor fabric 12. However, Vit is primarily intended to employ a thermoplastic synthetic resinsuch as acrylic or methyl methacrylate resin commonlytkhewn by and Vprocnrable on Y i the opernmarketunder theftradenames ViLucite-i orffPlexi- 15 theticY resin oi the .panel'll Tand tlernriountinggmemb'erY The edge4 gofj the.' mountingY member.' llopposite. f to,

acentrally disposed' tongue 151v A'sith'cQinstanQe off the socket '13;many technquesmay; be ,used informingv theV tongue 1`5.` 'Ifhus, during th'e fabrication of the extending the centr'alporti'on ofjthisf edge, lor after the Y Vmounting member 11,' the tongue 15 -may be formed by the sides-thereof fmay, be removed 'tol createl or produce.

the tongue I5."A The tongue ,15 serves as a means, for

securiiiggor attachingihe mounting` member 11',` and Vhence the panel '10;' to. a .supportig'on cooperating structure..

VThemeans per se wherebythfe tonguev 15..'issec11red or"securi ng means, mayl be'Y used to this purpose; shownY intheY drawing, however; by Waym offjexample,

tural members onplates 16andconventinalfastening mountingmember has beenjcuredfand'set, portinsoff25 .'30 to a' supporting/or cooperating structure irms no` part. of: the present invention -andj.'any, conventionalffastening means such'iasponeor more bolts'.l'1' V maybe passed through registered'openings in the tongue. 15 and"pltes V16to. the

enrlthatupon the tighteningof the coactirigynut '18,Y of'the"bo1t:17"`,the sides of tongue 15'willfbe secured. to the A*plates 162 To. provide fon the relative expansion.

or'contracton of f the plates 16,n the boltsl'andthe j tongue "15: when theyj are subjected,tovarying .temperaturesgtheopenings throughl which the .bfolts 17 pass, may be slotted-or other. conventional means fdr .accommodatx 4 ing the above "differential expansionor contraction. of .the

joinedparts' mayjbe provided Y glasf in Ythe fabrication ofthe closure 10'and in the mountingimembecl'l'i. Inninstancesavhereirthei lsurefbrpanels 102i and the mountingitme'rula'en511'L aree-fabricated# from acrylic or methyl methacrylate resin, then'itii'se'primarily intendedc-tot einploykas the?zreinforcingfabricJlZcO-:the

vmounting memberv 11, a fabric or material madeby weaving or otherwise*fabrieatingefilments, threads or strands of synthetic acrylic resin. Such synthetic acrylic fabrics or materials are commonly known by and procurable om the 0ppm rnarkei;s under. .the trade;Y names Vreinforcing material 'fabricated from, ,filaments ,made oh I the same resin fas ,that inrthe e closurev` and,laminated` lby impregnation..with a .so11itiont of. ftheV` same, :resin as4 that. in the reiiincing; materiallandihe, closure,,andsecuredj-v homogeneous. body..Y olth'e samer resin ,tlu'oughoutthev joint tliusior'inedlY Y R'efe'ren'ce'siCit'redlinthe'l of this. patenL` UNIrEnsrAfTnsf-PATENTS;

2,51.1;1'6si Martinet-a1.; .time 1261950l 2,572,941; Pevneyt-; oet. 3o;i 1951AIV 2,576,734@ Voelkerf Nov; 27,71951* 

